GME Policy: Evaluation

Policy Statement

All University of Minnesota Medical School Graduate Medical Education training programs are required to use an electronic evaluation instrument (i.e. RMS, E*Value). In accordance with ACGME Common Program Requirements programs must follow the evaluation criteria outlined below.

Procedures

Trainee Formative and Summative Evaluation

The faculty must evaluate trainee performance in a timely manner during each rotation or similar educational assignment and document this evaluation at completion of the assignment. A trainee’s competence in patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, attitudes, interpersonal relationships and communication skills, professionalism and systems-based practice must be evaluated.

The program must use multiple evaluators (i.e. faculty, peers, patients, self, other professional staff). Programs must evaluate their residents/fellows on an ongoing basis to assure adequate progress commensurate with the trainee's level of education and experience. Overall reviews of the trainee's progress will be conducted at least semi-annually by program faculty with responsibility for monitoring the overall academic progress of all residents/fellows in the training program. Trainees who make satisfactory progress as determined by the program director will be promoted and given increased graded responsibilities, please see Resident/Fellow Standing and Promotion Policy.

The program director must provide a final evaluation for each trainee who completes the program. This evaluation must include a review of the trainee’s performance during the final period of education, and should verify that the trainee has demonstrated sufficient professional ability to practice competently and independently. We encourage programs to use our Standard Verification of Training Form for this purpose. The final evaluation must be part of the trainee’s permanent record. Written evaluations must be available to the residents/fellows to enable them to assess their progress and improve performance.

Faculty Evaluation

The program must evaluate faculty performance as it relates to the educational program at least annually. The evaluations should include a review of the faculty’s clinical teaching abilities, commitment to the educational program, clinical knowledge, professionalism and scholarly activities.

This evaluation must include annual written confidential evaluations by the trainees. Programs are encouraged to employ one of the following methods to ensure confidentiality of faculty evaluations:

GME Administration: work with GME to develop a process whereby the program sends faculty evaluations to GME Administration. GME will collate and return a summary report back to the program to disseminate back to faculty.

Program Director: develop a process whereby the faculty evaluations are sent to the Program Director who will collate and return a summary report back to the faculty members.

Division Director: develop a process whereby the faculty evaluations are sent to the Division Director who will collate the data and use the summary data for faculty reviews and consultation with the program director.

Department Chair: develop a process whereby the faculty evaluations are sent to the Department Chair who will collate and return a summary report back to the program.

Program Evaluation

The program must document formal, systematic evaluation of the curriculum at least annually, the program must monitor and track each of the following areas:

Trainee performance;

Faculty development;

Graduate performance, including performance of program graduates on the certification examination and;

Program quality, specifically:

trainees and faculty must have the opportunity to evaluate the program confidentially and in written at least annually and;

the program must use the results of the trainees’ assessments of the program together with other program evaluation results to improve the program.

Representative program personnel (i.e., at least the program director, representative faculty, and one trainees) must be organized to review program goals and objectives, and the effectiveness with which they are achieved. This group must conduct a formal documented meeting at least annually for this purpose.

If deficiencies are found, the program should prepare a written plan of action to document initiatives to improve performance in the areas listed. The action plan should be reviewed and approved by the teaching faculty and documented in the meeting minutes.